Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
global, socio-economic processes and flows of people, finance, goods and services.
Policy makers can seek to resist the effects of or capture the benefits of these flows.
In this chapter, we first establish why urban policy matters and then consider
the major theories that help us to understand urban policy. We then examine how
urban policy has evolved in Australia, particularly in relation to changing federal
emphasis on a national urban policy and in terms of the strategic planning and
governance arrangements for the metropolitan regions of the capital cities, in which
thevastmajorityofAustralianslive.
Urban policy matters in an urban society
Australia is a majority urban society. Over two-thirds of the population live in the
metropolitan regions of the state and territory capital cities (Table 1). Increases
in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane accounted for 70 per cent of Australia’s
population growth in 2016–17. These patterns reflect both the concentration of
economic opportunities and growth in urban areas and Australia’s unique urban
system, the pattern for which was set during European settlement, when the
majority of each colony’s population was concentrated in its capital city. During
the 20th century, the capitals continued to claim an ever-increasing population
share due to rapid suburban growth. 4 Australia’s two largest cities, Sydney and
Melbourne,nowhaveglobalcity 5 status, meaning they are significant nodes in
international networks of economic, political and cultural exchanges.
Australia’s urban concentration pointstothepolicychallengesthataffect
the quality of life in cities, such as congestion and the need for better public
transport, and gentrification and the need for greater housing availability and
affordability. These problems affect different parts of urban areas in different ways,
producing and reinforcing patterns of inequality across numerous domains, such
as income, health and mobility. Many of these challenges can be characterised as
spatial mismatches – for example, between where housing is affordable and where
jobsarelocated.Butthereisalsooftenamismatchbetweenthelocalscale–
‘where people live’ – and the realms and flows that affect residents (which may
be global, national or metropolitan). These can range from the location decisions
of globally operating corporations to national imperatives to sustain and grow
economic productivity, or the need for co-ordination across local government
areas that make up the metropolitan region about the availability and accessibility
of housing, jobs and other services and amenities. Such policy challenges draw
attention to strategic planning focused on mobility and land use (for housing, for
employment, for open space) as a framework for and expression of urban policy.
4 Gleeson and Steele 2012.
5 Sassen 1991.
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